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  1. Home
  2. Recycling and rubbish
  3. What you can recycle
  4. What we pick up as household rubbish

Stay safe in very hot weather

Very hot weather is expected for the next few days. A red heat-health alert (the highest level) is in place for London until Friday.  

Hot weather can be dangerous and can cause serious illness. Stay safe and look out for others who may be particularly vulnerable to the heat. Read advice on GOV.UK

Cool spaces

There are local cool spaces that are free and open to everyone. Visit them to rest, drink water and stay cool. Find a cool space near you

Access Islington hubs 

North and South Access Islington hubs are closed due to the hot weather. The Central Hub is open for urgent, in-person support until 4pm on Thursday and Friday but avoid travelling unless it is essential. 

You can still access our services online and you can call us on 020 7527 2000 if you need to speak to someone. 

Rubbish bins icon

What we pick up as household rubbish

This handy guide will help you decide what to put in your rubbish bin or black bags.

  1. Items we pick up
  1. Items we do not pick up

Items we do not pick up

  • recycling 
  • DIY waste such as soil, rubble, bricks, wood (take to the Reuse and Recycling Centre) 
  • garden waste (if a garden waste collection is not provided, take to the Reuse and Recycling Centre) 
  • electrical items (take to the Household Reuse and Recycling Centre or use Your local area to find your nearest small electrical items recycling point)
  • batteries (hidden batteries inside electricals can spark dangerous fires when crushed in bin lorries and recycling centres. Battery fires also endanger lives and cause serious environmental and health risks. Recycling batteries - Can it be recycled? Most supermarkets and libraries have battery recycling points) 
  • textiles (take to your nearest recycling point)  
  • items which may make your dustbin too heavy to be lifted by one person 
  • fluorescent light bulbs (take to the Reuse and Recycling Centre)  
  • mobile phones or other electrical gadgets (take to the Reuse and Recycling Centre or take to the nearest small electrical items recycling point). 

What to do with waste we do not collect

 We do not collect the waste listed below, go to their pages to see how to dispose of it.

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